Stardust To Remember You
by ehliza
Summary: During your life you make several important decision. But sometimes you change some of them. Mostly because you meet someone. And she is no exception. She met him and when this star of hers was suddenly gone, she was left with its stardust. BB, of course!
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:** No, I do not own them. Unfortunately for me. "sigh"

I also don't own the stunning music video, from which I got this idea. I just hope the author doesn't mind, if yes, just tell me!

**A/N:** I'm bringing a new story. This one is actually based on absolutely fantastic music video called "Stardust to remember you by" by Joana. Check it out on youtube with the rest of her amazing work. Sorry that the prologue is so short, but I had to start somewhere. Also, nothing is as it seems, so give me and this little new-born child of mine a chance :).

**A/N-2:** Well, the story was beta-read and I want to thank you, Lisa (Bonefan21), once more for it!

* * *

**Prologue**

She couldn't be sure, if the sight scared or pleased her, because this wasn't something she'd expected, welcomed or even thought possible. They were careful. She had always been very careful. And yet, here she was, standing in her bathroom, tighly gripping the sink and looking at those two red strips. It had taken her by surprise. Actually, every event for the last three weeks had taken her by surprise. Her life had been twisting and turning ever since then. Since her lover was killed. If there really was a God, he had to have a strange sense of humor for doing this to her. As if taking her parents from her life wasn't enough. As if killing him wasn't enough. As if making an innocent and unborn child a half orphan was something that she deserved. What they both deserved.

"_Why did you do it? Why did you decide so suddenly, that you want to cross that line you made with me?" Her question was, for a short moment,standing between them. Her eyes were staring into his with such an innocence and hurt, that it made him think. "Why was this woman destined to cross his path?"_

"_Because I couldn't stay away from you anymore. Because I was afraid, that if I'd kept waiting for some unknown things to settle, somebody would take you away from me. I almost lost you last year because of Sully. Because I told you to go with him. He was the good guy and I knew, he could make you happy." She looked at him, the hurt in her eyes didn't disappear and he knew in that moment, what she was thinking about. "I wanted to be the one, the one who makes you happy, who brightens your smile every day. Who wakes up beside you every morning and who goes to bed with you every night."_

But none of this was now important. He was dead, killed because of her. He'd wanted to protect her and this time, death found him.

They had been in a relationship for only a couple of weeks. Right after her father had been acquitted and released. On that night, she had left her apartment and gone to his place. She'd needed to talk, to explain her reasons. But when she arrived, no words had been spoken. He had just held her in his embrace, the only thought on their minds... _Never let go._

"_What will happen with us? What will happen, when they discover we're together?"_

"_You want this to be something more than just a one night stand?" His face was curious, he expected, that in the morning she would run away. _

"_You don't-"_

"_No, no, babe. I want it, I want us more than anything."_

She had agreed. How much easier her life would be now, if she had just taken off that morning? If she had never come to his door that night?

Brennan slowly left her bathroom and crossed the apartment to sit on her couch. She always suspected that if there would be a situation like this, she would just brush it away. She never wanted/planned to bring a child into this world. But suddenly she felt there's no way in hell, that she wouldn't keep this child of theirs. Even if it meant she had to raise her or him on her own, for them to never meet and know the man she had once fallen in love with.

Despite everything she smiled. He would be so proud of her if he could see her right now. His deep brown eyes would look at her, he would give her his trademark charm smile and tell her what neither of them had the chance to say.

**To be continued**

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Let me know what you think, your ideas or just say hello if you feel like it :).

Suzanne


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** As always... Maybe in zillion years or in a dream. A nice dream, though.

**A/N:** Sorry it took a little longer to get this chapter up! Also, thanks to Lisa for beta-reading and correcting my terrible mistakes! :)

* * *

**Chapter 1 **

Although Brennan managed to build the walls against her emotions in record time, she was unable to look anywhere in the lab without being reminded of him. He had penetrated every aspect of her life. Every time she was working on the platform, she couldn't help feeling, that at any moment he would burst in with his unbelievable smile and drag her to a crime scene or for a cup of coffee at the Diner. But he never came and now he never would. There was no time for tears. They all had to move on with their lives. Nobody was surprised, when a new deal emerged. There would be no new liaison between the FBI and Jeffersonian, no new partner for Brennan. The doctors would only help whenever there was a crime scene requiring their expertise.

And she was okay with this deal. She had no desire to be in the field again. Brennan loved it, yes. Part of the reason why she'd always felt so secure and satisfied while there, was her partner. He'd taught her to trust him.

Although his death made him break a promise he'd given to her and it left its mark on the trust she'd always had in him, Brennan believed there would be a difference, if he'd done it willingly and not as an act of their friendship. Maybe even of love.

So she found herself back in the lab. She didn't mind being there, in a place she had always considered her second home. Now there was no reason to refuse offers to participate in any new digs that might last for several months abroad.

"Bren?" The soft voice of Brennan's best friend interrupted her train of thoughts. "Do you have a minute?" Something in her voice made Brennan turn around and face Angela. Brennan still had a lot to learn about reading people, but after three years with Booth she'd learned a bit about ordinary humans and their behavior.

"What's wrong, Angela?"

"Nothing, I just…I'm just feeling like that shiny part of us all is missing, you know?" Angela sighed and offered her a small, sad smile.

"Before Booth...I probably would have told you, that you're ridiculous, but now I can't help it, I feel the same way. I think he not only changed me, but all of us, some less, some more." Brennan returned her smile and sadly looked around their lab. Angela paused for a short while, not sure how to continue.

"So, have you made a final decision about leaving?" Brennan quickly turned to face her friend.

"It's just a couple of months, Ange."

"Yeah, but this will be the first time you've gone somewhere in what, two or three years?" Angela's eyes suddenly looked like the eyes of a hungry puppy, which made Brennan silently laugh.

"I'll be back, promise." Brennan bit her lower lip and kept staring at Angela. She, of course, noticed, but didn't comment. Angela knew better than to push Brennan into something. "You've been aware of my relationship with Booth, right?"

"Right. You told us, remember?" Angela winked at her and smiled in remembrance.

_"Oh, holy mother of-" The moment they heard his words they jumped away from each other and turned to Hodgins. With their very guilty faces and swollen lips he could do nothing but laugh at them. _

_"I guess you've got the answer to your question of should we tell them or not." Brennan smirked at Booth and he rolled his eyes. _

_"__I__ suppose." Booth smiled widely at his new lover. "You better get going or Angela will kill you the second this gets to her." Brennan's eyes went wide when she noticed Hodgins had disappeared.__  
_

_"Oh."_

"I have news." Brennan took a deep breath and again bit her lower lip. "Right now I'm not sure what's harder, telling you this or knowing that it's actually happening."

"Don't think about it, just tell me, that way it won't hurt so much." Angela smiled encouragingly and took a seat right beside an examination table.

"Fine without thinking, I'm pregnant." To say that Angela was shocked would be an understatement.

"But...how? Whe-" Angela paused. "Oh."

"I found out a few days ago. I was late and although I'm completely sure we had used protection every single time, I'm going to have a child."

Angela raised her eyebrows. "So, are you gonna keep it?"

"I can't imagine not keeping him or her, Ange." Brennan raised her eyes to meet Angela's. She had her expectations about her friend's reaction, but she was still clinical enough not to put too much hope into them.

Angela was silent for a few moments, looking at Brennan with a thoughtful gaze, she said, "I believe you've already gone through all your doubts?" Her face broke into a smile.

"Yes." Brennan softly smiled and looked back at the bones in front of her. I just wish things were different. He always used to say, that one day I would change my mind about having children, marriage..."

_"Admit it, you liked the ceremony!" Booth laughed and put his arm around her shoulders.__  
_

_"__I__ don't see any reason for you to be so cheerful, Booth." Brennan stared at him without a smile, but he could see a hint of it in her eyes.__  
_

_"One day, my dear Bones, you will be walking down the aisle, dozen of kids following you..."__  
_

_"Are you trying to make me go on a six month long dig to Australia?" Brennan laughed at his childish expression._

_  
__"Everything happens eventually, Bones." They both smiled at his words and continued on their way to the SUV._

"Have you changed your mind?"

"Not really. But there are always some exceptions, aren't there?"

* * *

"Have you spoken to Brennan yet?" Her fiancée asked as he gathered her in his arms for a fierce hug.

"Sort of." Angela slowly closed her eyes, when a memory of that earlier conversation came to her mind. "We talked, she even smiled, but we haven't touched that particular topic."

"The funeral is in two days, Ange, and she should be there. She needs to do this for herself more than for the others. She knew him like nobody else did."

"Jack, I don't think she's ready for this. Remember, she'd given them their chance to build a life and he died, the one thing Brennan had been afraid of the most. She probably won't be able to be around his family or even some of her friends for a while." The artist hesitated for a second.

"What is it?"

"I'm not sure what to do, Hodgins. Brennan made a huge decision about her life. Normally I wouldn't have been happier. Instead I feel totally helpless. Now I'm the one with doubts."

"Ange, what decision?"

"She wants to keep their unborn baby."

* * *

He stared at the ceiling for more than an hour, unaware of how much time had passed. But his mind was full of thoughts, which no power would be able to silence. Zach had always been the quiet observer, the listener and sometimes he didn't even know he was doing it. But there were times he remembered. Moments like meeting his current colleagues for the first time, his boss and then her crime-fighting partner, the same man who had helped him with his decision about going to Iraq and changed some of his view's of the world and its people.

_"Life isn't always about science, Zach. Sometimes you have to open your eyes and try to look at it like normal people do. You can't find the truth behind their reasoning, if you don't understand their minds."_

He heard them, when they were talking about Brennan's pregnancy. No matter how illogical it was, he knew the life they had been living was about to change, drastically.

**To be continued... **

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So, now when you finished reading, would you give me a small, tiny review, please? :) I'd love to know, what you think about this chapter! S.**  
**


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** Nope, still don't own them. But be totally sure I'd do_ anything_ to have Emily Deschanel :) (btw. does anybody know, why she wasn't at the comic con?).

**A/N:** Second chapter is here! Huge and never ending _Thank you_ goes to Lisa, as usual, for her wonderful work on this. I always feel so bad, when you send it back to me and there are so many bold things :). Can't get rid of the feeling you're spending with it so much time!

**A/N2:** I'm SO grateful to all of you, who are reviewing this story.

* * *

**Chapter 2**

_My name is doctor Temperance Brennan and I am...I was Booth's partner. Before he died. Before he gave up his life for me. Before-_

"Oh, screw this!" Brennan shouted as she threw the paper against the wall of her home office. "There's no point in writing this, because I'm not going to the funeral, I already told you that, Angela!" Brennan stood up from the chair at her desk and stormed out of the room.

She'd tried, she really had. The constant sound of Angela's voice in her head, insisting she had to write, Booth's, eulogy was not making it any easier for her to write one. She might be a best selling author, but no power on Earth could make her do something she had no desire to do. What was the purpose of a funeral speech anyway?

The light outside was already gone and the night claimed its place. Her eyes fell on the clock beside her and she sighed. It was almost midnight, only a few hours were left until the unwanted event. Brennan slowly lowered herself down onto her couch and hid her face in her hands. She was tired. No, exhausted was more like it. She didn't even bother to stand up and turn on the lights. The darkness felt comfortable tonight and was more than welcome._ You're pathetic, Temperance._

"Don't I know it?" Brennan's quiet voice vibrated through the room. She knew she should be doing something, anything, to keep her mind busy. Writing a speech for Booth's funeral was obviously a bad choice and although she knew of several other things which needed to be done, Brennan couldn't bring herself to begin them.

She raised her eyes and looked around the darkened room. For a moment she considered going to bed, but she knew, that she wouldn't fall asleep. Not tonight. Brennan reached for her laptop and turned it on. Even though she was tired beyond belief, she couldn't just sit and stare at the walls. So she began to type out a new chapter of her book.

The fact that she'd lost her partner didn't mean that Kathy Reich's, the character in her books, would have to deal with the same pain. In her mind Andy had always been Booth, despite all her protests that Andy, Kathy's lover, was not based on Booth. This way she could pretend that she and Booth had lived happily ever after, at least in her novels.

* * *

The ceremony was beautiful and painful for everyone. Many of Booth's old friends attended and most of his family as well. Brennan had talked about the service with Rebecca a week ago, and they'd agreed it would be for the best if Parker stayed home. They'd felt no need to increase his pain by bringing him to the funeral.

So she'd asked Rebecca if she could take care of Parker, and Rebecca had agreed. Rebecca had been aware of their new relationship, and she knew about Brennan's pregnancy.

Brennan remembered the talk she had with Parker's mother. They'd never been friends, they'd barely exchanged a few words, but this new situation had brought them closer together. It had been inevitable, since in a few months Brennan would give birth, bringing a new brother or sister into Parker's life.

Then Parker interrupted her thoughts.

"Dr. Bones?" Parker said his voice sounding sad.

"Yes, Parker?" Brennan lowered her gaze to look at Parker sitting on the floor with his toys. Her heart broke once again upon seeing his watery eyes.

"Does Daddy have a new son in heaven?" Brennan gasped and bent down on her knees beside him.

"No, no, sweetheart." She took him into her arms and hugged him tight. "Booth is only watching over you."

"And what about you and my little brother or sister? Daddy always said, that he had to take care of you, so some bad guys wouldn't hurt you. Is he still doing that too?" Brennan bit her lip to stop a tearful sob.

"Yeah, I think he does." Parker slowly nodded, and put his arms around her neck. Soon she realized, he was crying. For the first time since his father died.

* * *

_"We should take a day off, or a weekend, that would be even better."_

_"Why? You think we are not spending enough time together?"_

_"Like that would be possible, we're apart for only a couple of hours per day, Bones."_

_"You see my point?" Brennan smiled at him. Since the very beginning of their relationship Booth had asked her, no, begged her to go away with him._

_"You know that one day you won't be able to resist me, right?" Booth returned her smile and gently touched her face. "We'll go the weekend after this one."_

"When did he fall asleep?" Rebecca asked quietly once they were sitting in Brennan's kitchen.

"About three hours ago, Parker cried himself to sleep." Brennan sighed sadly and kept playing with the glass, she was holding. "How was it?"

"Felt like something I never wanted to feel. I don't think I've completely accepted it yet, that Seeley is really gone." Rebecca raised her glass of red wine and drank deeply.

"I know the feeling." Brennan nodded bitterly and Rebecca suddenly looked into her eyes.

"How are you and the baby?"

"Still no morning sickness, so I guess we're good." Brennan shuddered and then shook her head. "We were supposed to have a few days off this weekend."

* * *

Brennan kicked the blanket off of her body and let out a frustrated sigh. Another sleepless night. Another day of just wanting to curl into the fetal position and sleep for days. Rebecca and Parker had left a few hours ago. She'd gone straight to bed, knowing she had the next two days off.

Their plan had been simple. Turn off their cells, pack a few life-sustaining things, jump into Booth´s SUV and take off to some nice, quiet cabin hidden in the woods. Brennan had actually been looking forward to it. Now that wouldn't be happening, instead within the week, she would be leaving on a trip to Chile. New place, new people and time for her to deal with this new life challenge she was now facing alone.

Still feeling tired Brennan got up from bed and walked to her living room and stopped at her wi-fi. She couldn't decide if she wanted to listen to the old classics or not, but in the end opted for something more modern. Once the music was quitely flowing through her apartment, she headed to the kitchen to pour a glass of water.

Once she was comfortably standing beside her kitchen counter with a glass in one hand, she reached for her phone and dialed Angela's number. After all, Angela, had told her to call whenever she felt like it, hadn't she?

"Hi, sweetie." Angela's voice came to her after the second ring.

"Hi, Ange. I know it's late, I hope I'm not bothering you and Hodgins?"

"Don't be ridiculous, you never are. Well, except at work, of course, but that doesn't count." Angela laughed quietly and Brennan smiled. She needed to hear exactly that.

"Bren?" Angela on the other side of line looked at Hodgins, who had been watching her the entire time and he nodded in agreement.

"Yes?" Brennan moved to her couch and laid down with her head on the arm rest.

"How was your day?"

"Long." Brennan sighed. "I had Parker over as I said earlier."

"I remember and Rebecca mentioned that today too."

"She picked him up a few hours ago and we talked a little, so you don't have to tell me about the ceremony."

"I still think you should have been there, Bren." Angela paused for a moment not quite knowing if Brennan would react or not. "But I understand. Hell, even if I didn't, you're still my friend."

"Thanks, Ange." Brennan smiled.

"Do you have any plans for the weekend? I know that you...had plans with Booth, but I guess you're not going to do that, right?" Angela bit her lip. She wasn't sure which pain was bigger, the one she felt for Booth being gone, or the one for her friend, who had once again lost someone she loved deeply.

"No, so I suppose I'll just go to the lab and do some work."

"Or maybe you could go with us."

"Ange..."

"Bren, both Zach and Cam are going to be there. It's just for one day."

"Fine, tell me more, but I'm not promising anything." Brennan rolled her eyes and smiled. She was more than sure that Angela had pushed both Zach and Cam into promising to come just to get her there.

* * *

_"I want you to stay behind me, is that clear, Bones? No running in front of me, no shooting until I tell you to." Booth whispered and turned to look at her. Her face was hurt and her eyes stubborn. "I mean it. This guy is a total freak."_

_"Fine!" She whispered back in a hushed tone and tightly compressed her lips._

_"Just stay behind me." Booth turned back and they slowly moved to the door on their right. They had been on this case only couple of days. Once Brennan's team had discovered the ID of their victim, Booth had immediately found a suitable suspect. And now they were breathing down his neck in this Godforsaken, long forgotten warehouse._

_They proceeded through the door into the building. Brennan gasped; the place was even bigger from the inside._

_But then, a sound from the upper floor reached them. Booth turned to Brennan once again, and after a short moment nodded towards the stairs beside them. _

_They quietly climbed the stairs and headed towards the room where the noise had come from. They both clasped their guns tighter, took a deep breath, then Booth opened the door._

From that moment on everything she remembered happened in a blur. One moment she had been covering him, and the next second, she had been falling to the ground from the weight of his body shielding hers, with his blood all over her.

Brennan rested her head in her hands and a silent sob escaped her lips. She bit the lower one to stop herself from crying, but the memory of Booth bleeding to death was too much. The pain of losing him came back in full force. She curled up and pressed her hands to her abdomen in effort to think about the baby instead of it. But the action didn't calm her down, it had the opposite.

_"Oh my God! Booth! Breathe!" She cried out with tears in her eyes, one hand pressing at his wound and with the other she pulled her cell phone out of her pocket. "This is Dr.Brennan. I need an ambulance, my partner Special agent Seeley Booth has been shot."_

"This is so unfair!" Brennan whispered as she took a deep breath. The tears were falling down her face and she was shaking violently. "It was not your time yet, damn it! Not now, not in another forty years!"

_"Come on, hold on, Booth." She did her best not to panic, but the amount of blood on both their clothes and her hands was huge._

_"Bones-"_

_"Don't talk! Just breathe and stay with me!" She snapped at him. She was now openly crying. She was aware, that his eyes were slowly closing and his breathing was becoming unstable and tenuous._

_His eyes suddenly closed and his hand loosened its hold on hers. Suddenly, someone barged through the door, causing Brennan to cry out in panic. Thank goodness, the paramedics had arrived._

Brennan opened her eyes and bit her lower lip once again, before pulling it in with her teeth. She didn't want to remember what had happened next. How they had told her to step away, how they had taken him into the car and had left her standing there. How she'd arrived at the hospital half an hour later and had been told by Booth's boss, Cullen, that her partner had died during the transfer.

She sighed brokenly and turned to lie on her stomach, looking at what used to be his side of the bed. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't keep the memories of Booth's shooting from flashing in front of her eyes.

_She rushed into the hospital just in time to find Booth's boss standing at the reception desk with several other agents and a man in greens, who she assumed was a doctor. Cullen shook his head over something the doctor said and noticed Brennan walking towards them._

_His face changed a little at the sight of her. The front of her shirt and her hands were covered in blood. Her eyes were red from crying. Cullen stepped away from the group of people and met her halfway._

_"Dr.Brennan-"_

_"Where is Booth?" She asked him with a tremor in her voice as she desperately bit her lip._

_"Dr. Brennan, I'm really sorry, but agent Booth didn't survive the transfer." He paused upon seing her face becoming so pale. "Are you okay?" Brennan just raised her gaze to him, opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Instead her knees weakened and due to her exhaustion and shock she fainted._

That had been two and half weeks ago. She'd woken up in a hospital bed with Angela sitting beside her. Neither had spoken, Angela had helped Brennan to get up, given her a ride home and after being thrown out of Brennan's apartment, she and Hodgins had left.

What a turn of fate.

* * *

He painfully opened one eye and because of the violently bright light above him, immediately closed it again. Then he tried again, this time slowly. He was confused, in pain. There were voices around him. But he heard only one voice. The only one, which was feminine.

"Come on, hold on, Booth." He blinked and tried to move his head to catch a glimpse of her. "...hold on..." The voice slowly started to disappear as the male voices were getting closer and louder.

"He's waking up, sir."

The face of a man appeared above him. A familiar face in fact. Cullen's. But something felt terribly wrong. Why were they all here? Booth in spite of the pain looked around the room._ Where was Bones?_

"Good to see you're still amongst the living, Booth." His boss smiled at him, but Booth looked at him even more confused. He remembered the warehouse, Bones behind him, the shooting. _Was she hurt?_ "I suppose you're wondering, why we're here? The thing is, agent Booth, that in the matter of homeland security..."

The rest of the talk went in and out of his head. His mind was screaming. _Was she dead? Was she shot? Where was she? Bones?!_

**To be continued **

* * *

Well, that's it and now I'm really nervous and very curious what your thoughts are, so _please_, let me know them, maybe you'll even make my writing quicker!

S.


	4. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **Jesus I SO want to say yesss, they are mine. Is anybody interested in giving them to me?

**A/N:** Well I'm back with new chapter! I'm sorry for the delay, but at first I got this stupid writer's block because of Booth and then my wonderful beta - Lisa (who, by the way, I must thank again!) - needed to finish her story :). But hey, it's here! :).

* * *

**Chapter 3**

"Did you pack everything?" Angela asked as she sat perched on her best friend's bed. Brennan turned her head to look at Angela and smiled.

"Yeah and if not, I'm pretty sure you'll take care of it, just like always." Both women smiled at one another, remembering how, Angela, had sent her some totally inappropriate clothes, every single time she'd been abroad for an extended period.

"God, Brennan, I already miss you." Angela looked at her with a sad smile.

"You'll manage, Angela. I'll only be away for two months."

"Well yeah, but you're going to be out in the middle of nowhere, with no way to connect with the outside world, which means we won't even be able to talk." Angela shuddered and took one of Brennan's bags. "Is there at least some sort of electricity? Are you going to live in a tent so you'll have to use candlelight to see?" Angela grinned.

"Let's go, Ange. Hodgins is waiting." Once they got to the front door, Brennan looked back at her apartment. "Don't forget to water my plants."

* * *

The flight was anything but enjoyable. Brennan usually didn't mind longer flights, this time it was different. She wasn't bored. She wrote another important chapter to her book, read several articles for which she hadn't had time until now, and was able to finally get some sleep. What made this particular flight unbearable was the pounding pain in the back of her head. She blamed it on her lack of sleep.

The plane landed in the capital city of Chile, Santiago just before sunset. She was picked up and taken to the hotel, where she met the rest of a small group of anthropologist's. Everyone was supposed to join the crew already working at the site once they'd checked in.

Brennan couldn't help but smile. She had missed these people, the atmosphere, and the discussions they always had while on a new dig.

She shut the door to her hotel room and leaned against it with her eyes closed. Her escape had been successful and now she had two months to get her mind cleared up.

* * *

Booth crossed the street and quickly turned left. He was almost a hundred percent positive, that he was being followed. That wasn't on his list of favorite things. Especially now, when this damned assignment was almost over. Five weeks. Five freaking weeks since the shooting and his faked death. They had forbidden him to contact his family, his partner…They'd taken him into phase one of their plan after he'd regained consciousness and was stable enough to be moved.

He had no idea, what was going to happen, or when he'd be able to return to DC. He wished he could go back in time and tell them no, he couldn't leave his son. No, he couldn't leave her, the woman who was his partner in work and life.

He knew his family would be happy to have him back. However, he was scared that his partner would be unable act to as if nothing had happened. He knew Brennan. He knew that his orders, which had come directly from the President, could be the death knell to their relationship. Maybe even to their working partnership. He'd taught her how to feel and then, when she'd completely opened herself to him, he'd unwillingly left her. Now, he was afraid it would be impossible for him to regain her trust once more.

Booth slowly entered the first door of the building he was passing through, when he looked back at the street. His followers appeared after a few moments and immediately realized that their prey was nowhere to be found. They broke into a run and soon both of them were out of sight. Booth checked the street once again. He then headed for the door across the street: his destination and if something won't go wrong, as well the end of this nightmare.

* * *

His seat was uncomfortable. Small. Aisle. The woman sitting next to him was _uncomfortable_. She kept looking at him, winking as if he was interested in her. She also kept asking him questions that drove him crazy. _Could a man get some privacy here, lady? To sort out the mess he was in._

His plane landed three hours later. His mood by then was no longer positive or neutral. Booth quickly grabbed his bag from the luggage belt and purposely passed an agent who was obviously waiting for him. His goal was the only thing on his mind. _Get to her._

Booth stepped out of the terminal and immediately found a cab. He gave the driver the address of the Jeffersonian. The ride seemed endless and that gave him too much time to think. _Was this the right decision, for him to burst into the lab and probably knock the wind out of their sails? _

He knew that his reappearance would be a shock to them. He wished there was some way to prevent that. _He wasn't inhuman; he cared about his friends, family and his partner, right?_

He just had to see her to explain why. The moments after his surgery were foggy and the memory of it painful. Nobody had been able or willing to tell him, if Brennan had been ok. Whether she'd been hurt or not. Who had told her about him? What had been her reaction and how had she handled the news?

Of course, he'd been told several hours later by, Cullen, who'd come to give him his instructions about his assignment. Booth remembered his face when, Cullen, had averted his eyes from him, when he'd asked about Brennan.

The weeks he'd spent away had been hell for him. He'd barely been able to focus on his case, because his thoughts about Brennan and his son were taking over his mind during every unguarded moment.

Booth looked up and saw they were almost at the Jeffersonian. He closed his eyes for a moment and inhaled deeply. He was afraid, because the next few moments would decide his future.

"_I like this."_

"_What, the movie?" Booth looked at Brennan with slight confusion._

"_No…This...Us." She shook her head slightly and smiled. They were lying in his bed and watching a movie, Booth's arms were securely wrapped around Brennan, her head on his chest. He returned her smile and bent his head to kiss her. After a moment she pulled away and __laughed quietly._

"_Stop distracting me, Booth! I want to watch this movie!" Brennan playfully hit him in the arm and laid her head back on his chest._

"_I can't believe it. You, the woman who always refused to get a TV, now prefers a movie about a sinking boat, over me." Booth laughed and draped their blanket over her head._

"_You're being childish!" _

"_You so like it, babe." Booth whispered in her ear then gently kissed her on the head before turning his eyes back to the screen. The catastrophe of the Titanic was just about to start._

* * *

Booth seated himself on the couch in Brennan's office then hid his face in his hands. The event which had occurred only a few moments ago, was still flashing before his eyes.

He'd walked into the lab to find it unusually quiet and deserted – except for those four people on the platform. They'd all been standing around an examination table bickering about some scientific thing. Booth had taken his time to observe and he hadn't missed the fact that Brennan hadn't been among them. He'd looked at her office, the door was closed and no lights on.

Once again he'd looked at the rest of his squint squad. Both Hodgins and Angela had been standing with their backs to him, Cam had been leaning against the steel railings and they all had been listening to Zach. He'd almost wished he could say that everything looked exactly as he left it, but that wouldn't have been the truth. Booth had clearly seen how tired they all had been. Their shoulders had been down and their usual bickering had been very limited and without its former spark.

Then Zach had suddenly stopped in the middle of a terribly long techno word and had interrupted his train of thoughts. His mouth had stayed open, but no words came out. He'd just gasped and Booth had felt his eyes burning into his own. He'd seen how the rest of the group had turned around in confusion and immediately after that froze. He'd seen a stack of papers flying out of Angela's hand and watched as they fluttered to the floor around them.

The shock and confusion that had taken over them after seeing him had slowly disappeared. Angela had thrown herself at him, crying in relief. Even after, Hodgins, had slowly taken her into his arms, she had continued to cry.

At first they'd been silent, just watching him with stunned expressions in their eyes. Then they'd started to ask questions. But he hadn't heard any of them. He had kept stealing glances at Brennan's office.

"She's not there, Booth." Angela had quietly told him, she'd been very well aware, where his mind had been. "She left on a sabbatical. She went to Chile for two months."

They all had been staring at him. With pity? He didn't know, but he'd been reeling since Angela had told him. He didn't need to know more. As much as Brennan was able to cope, this had obviously been too much for her.

Booth sighed and raised his eyes to take a look around. The place hadn't changed. Though it had no life, now that Brennan was gone.

"She'll be back in a few weeks." The voice made him turn to the door.

Cam was standing in the doorway.

"I know her Cam; she's probably feeling like there's nothing to come back to. She won't be back." Booth shook his head and resisted the urge to hide his face again.

"You're wrong, Seeley." Cam sighed and looked him in the eyes. "Your _death_ changed a lot of things, including Brennan."

"I never wanted this to happen." Booth lowered his gaze to the ground.

"We know and once Brennan comes back, she'll understand." Cam paused and that made Booth look up at her again. "She needs to do this, Booth. You should let her, because if you follow her, you might never get her back."

* * *

Booth slowly opened the door to his apartment and looked around. Everything looked just the same. They had obviously been postponing emptying his place. He tossed his bag on the floor next to the door and moved to the kitchen only to stop himself shortly after that.

"You've been gone over a month, buddy, what did you expect?" He murmured then headed straight to his bedroom. It was barely eight, but he was already tired and honestly had nothing else to do. Lying down sounded good, he really didn't care about the fact that he wouldn't be getting any sleep tonight.

He'd expected things to be a little different. He hadn't had any preconceived expectations about their reactions, that would be vain, but the possibility that Brennan would leave had never crossed his mind. Yet it was true.

He'd spent several hours in the lab, talking, but mostly listening to squints. He'd told them about the assignment, but he had never gone into any details. No one had asked, they were just glad he was alive. They knew it was something Brennan should hear first.

Booth had asked about her. How she had been doing? How she was handling it all? Except for a few things, they hadn't told him much. He could have sworn that he'd made them uncomfortable with his questions. He was sure they had been keeping something from him.

He lay down on his bed and closed his eyes. He missed her so much it hurt. Yet he knew Cam's words had been right. He couldn't chase her. He would have to wait until she came back. In the meantime, he would think about what he was going to say to her.

"_I told my father." Her voice echoed through the bathroom and Booth jumped slightly from surprise and turned to face her. Brennan was leaning against the wall, her arms folded, her expression expectant._

"_Hello to you too, you're here early. How was your day?" Booth ignored her statement and offered her a small smile as he stepped out of the shower. His tone was playful and Brennan rolled her eyes._

"_I told my father about us, Booth." She smirked and he stopped dead in his tracks, not bothering to cover himself with a towel._

"_You did?"_

"_Kind of. Somehow, he already knew. I'm thinking, how's that possible?" Brennan moved to stand in front of him and touched his arm. "Do you have any ideas?"_

"_I might have asked him some time ago, how he'd react, if something like that happened." Booth grinned at her and put his arms around her, not a bit interested in the fact, that he was getting her wet. _

"_Booth." She sighed in resignation, both about her clothes and his slip with her father._

"_Bones, even though you didn't see each other for fifteen years, he's still your father, who would know the second he saw us together. I have a feeling, he might not like that we kept this to ourselves."_

"_Why do I have a feeling, that being in a relationship with you, means that we have to share it with dozens of other people, looking over our shoulders every time we so much as look at each other?" Brennan raised her eyes to his, only to find him shaking his head with a smile on his lips and leaning down to give her a kiss._

"_No idea, but as long, as you are in it, I'm perfectly fine with it."_

Booth had a feeling, that a simple _I love you_ would not be enough. She gave everything to their relationship and he left her, it didn't matter that he left unwillingly.

"One step at a time, Seel, so for now let's pray she will come back."

**To be continued **

* * *

Well here we go, but don't worry, you'll get THE confrontation soon! Could I get a review in return now? :)

Come on, you need to put your minds off Bones. One whole week till the new ep can be really, really long :).


	5. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **Only in my dreams, babe, only in my dreams.

**A/N: **Is there any chance I could be forgiven for this enormous delay with this chapter? I'm sorry, I have dozens of excuses, but I guess you are more interested in the story itself :), you still with me?

And as usual, huge dose of thanks goes to Lisa for beta-ing this for me.

* * *

**Chapter 4**

He was awakened by the sounds of the city the next day. The clock on his bedside table told him it wasn't even five a.m. yet. While he had been on the other side of the world the last few weeks, he'd hoped that by the time he woke up in his own bed, he would know where he stood with Brennan.

The impact of both Angela and Cam's words fell on him once again. Brennan had changed over the years. When they had met for the first time, she was the kind of person, who would deal with this situation by running away. She'd already proved that to them by running to Guatemala right after her break up with Peter.

Booth thought, this was one of the things that changed, because during the years they spent together, she'd had quite a number of opportunities to do so, but she never did. He had believed she would no longer run away from her problems.

_I guess I was wrong_. He sighed as he slowly got up from his bed and headed for the bathroom.

Cam's words again echoed in his head. _Bones has changed_.

Booth stared at his reflection in the mirror. His face showed exhaustion. Just as he'd predicted, he didn't get any sleep last night.

He couldn't stop mulling over everything the squints told him yesterday. Or rather what they didn't tell him. He was determined to stop by during the day and force them to tell him what was really going on. Their behavior was way too weird, even for them.

But first there was something he needed to do. Someone he needed to see.

He had to see his son, Parker.

* * *

"That went well." Booth murmured as he crossed the distance between his car and Rebecca's home.

He had actually spent over two hours sitting in the driveway, in his car before he'd found enough courage to go over, knock on the door and face the mother of his son.

After a few moments, he decided the loud noises he heard came from a video game being played inside. Parker had answered the door. His son had stopped dead in his tracks, and the laughter slowly died on both his lips and his mother's, as she had followed him to the door. The shock and disbelief were evident on their faces.

"Daddy?"

It had taken only one small word, spoken by his son, with a tremor in his voice and tears in his eyes and Booth had immediately fallen on his knees, pulling Parker into his arms before he actually hit the ground.

Booth had spent over two hours with them. Rebecca hadn't fought him, hadn't shouted and hadn't thrown him out. Both she and Parker had been unusually quiet. Booth had told them about his assignment, apologized for all the stupid mistakes he had made during the time following his shooting.

Booth was worried. Rebecca seemed to take the news unusually well, but Parker hadn't said anything, except _daddy_, he'd just sat on his father's knees and looked at him.

Booth hid his face in his hands as he closed the door of his SUV. Of course he should have known. He had been working with bereaved people every day. He'd seen children, who'd closed themselves off from the world and yet he had never thought, that this could happen to his son.

He shook his head as he started the engine and slowly drove away.

* * *

"_I have Parker tomorrow." Brennan raised her eyes to Booth, who moved to stand besi__de her and was just about to steal a few ingredients from their dinner._

"_Yes?" She slapped his hand and smiled. "What are your plans? Are you taking him to the Zoo again?"_

"_Yes. Parker asked me__ if you could come with us." That got her attention and she laid down the knife she was using to cut the vegetables. _

"_He asked if I could come too." Brennan raised her eyebrows. "He barely knows me, Booth."_

"_That is so not true, Bones, and you know it." Booth closed the remaining distance between them and embraced her from behind. She only sighed and laid her arms on his, which were hugging her waist. "So, what do you think?"_

"_I'll come, but only for a few hours, Booth. I have to work." Booth smiled and kissed her on the neck._

"_That's all I ask." He whispered as he turned her in his arms, pushed aside the knife and their food and lifted her onto the counter, his hands already slowly travelling down her body and unbuttoning her shirt. "How was your day?" He asked her and leaned down to kiss the tender skin between her breasts._

"_It's getting better." Brennan smiled at him as her hand touched his hair and urged him up for a proper kiss. He pushed her shirt off of her shoulders and deepened the kiss, making her moan quietly._

"_I can think of a couple of things to make it a really, really great day." Booth murmured into her lips as his fingers unhooked the clasps of her bra and moved again to kiss her neck just below her ear. His arms wrapped around her body as he looked in her eyes and saw the exact tenderness that was in his own._

The moment he stepped into his office he wished he could turn back the clock so he could relive the moment he just remembered.

His office was a mess. All around him, his stuff was packed in boxes on his desk, the floor was covered in files with the FBI's logo, and on the top of one of the piles was a piece of paper he wanted to erase off the Earth´s surface.

"I see you found your way back to work." Booth was startled by the voice and dropped the paper with his photo and obituary.

"Sir." Cullen was staring at him with an unreadable expression on his face. Booth realized that Cullen had noticed what he was holding. Cullen looked around his office and moved to sit behind Booth's desk. He obviously came to tell him something, but then changed his mind.

"Have you seen and talked to your family?"

"I saw my son and his mother this morning." Booth answered and tiredly leaned against the glass door. "Parker was…he wasn't very responsive."

"Give him time, the child is probably still in shock." Cullen paused for a moment. "What about your partner?"

"Bones left the country few weeks ago. She went to some dig in Chile." Booth answered the pain in his voice impossible to hide.

"I'm surprised to see you here if that's the case. Usually you would have her hunted down by now." Cullen raised his eyebrows. He'd heard rumors about this special agent and his scientist partner being involved just before the agent's last assignment.

"I was told not to." Booth sighed tiredly with a painful expression in his eyes. Cullen nodded, he had met the team only a few times, but even in that short time he'd been able to recognize in them a powerful unit, a family.

"I assume you are not interested in getting a temporary partner."

"That's correct sir, I'm just fine on my own." Booth stared at his boss, waiting for him to say whatever he had come to say.

"In that case, Booth, you have a body waiting for you and your squints." Cullen straightened himself up, handed him a note with the address of the crime scene and left. Booth resisted the need to sigh and heavily sat down in his desk chair.

* * *

"Zach?" Booth rolled his eyes when the young forensic anthropologist raised his confused eyes to him. "This is the part, where you're supposed to work your magic and tell me something about the victim."

"I'm sorry Agent Booth; I was wondering what Dr. Brennan would look for." Zach returned his gaze to the victim in front of them. "This is very unusual, the bones are cleaned and someone obviously put them here one at a time. This skeleton was completely dismantled and then reassembled here in exactly the same way we use on our examination tables."

Booth ran his hand through his hair and scribbled this new info down.

"What are you able to tell me about the victim?"

"Caucasian, female, between twenty-eight and thirty-four, the back side of the pubic bone shows signs of pitting, or scarring and irregularities caused by the tearing and regrowth of ligaments that occur both during and after childbirth, indicating she's given birth." Zach paused and carefully touched a small defect on one rib. "The cause of death is not visible and the time can't be determined until we run a couple of other tests."

"Did you find anything else?"

"The body was moved. This is definitely not the primary crime scene."

"_Are you asking me questions about my work, because we are involved in a sexual relationship now?"_

"_What-?" Booth blinked and turned to his partner. "What the hell are you talking about, Bones?"_

"_Back at the crime scene, you actually seemed interested in all those "boring details", as you call our lab work." Brennan expectantly stared in his eyes._

"_Because I was interested and yes, it is boring, most of the time."_

"_You haven't answered my question, Booth."_

"_No, it is not because we are in relationship – by the way, Bones it's a romantic one, not a sexual."_

"_But we are having sex." Booth turned to her once more. For a moment he wondered if she was joking, or if she was really that stubborn._

_And she looked utterly confused._

"_That we are a__ great one in fact." They both smiled, her eyes sparkled and Booth shook his head in amusement. "I asked you because sometimes your work is fascinating, Temperance."_

_Her eyes widened and the smile he received was worth everything._

"_Thank you."_

* * *

Booth leaned against the tree and continued to watch his son play with some of his friends. Booth's smile was a sad one, though. Parker was still dealing with the whole fake death thing and Booth more often than not found him sitting and just staring at nothing. His normally talkative son was suddenly very quiet around his father.

"Daddy," Booth looked down on his son. "Dr. Bones doesn't know you didn't die?"

Booth opened and closed his mouth in shock.

"Why are you asking, Buddy?"

"We haven't seen her for a long time."

"We?"

"Yes, Mummy and I visited Dr. Bones a lot when you were gone." Booth bit his lip as he felt the sting in his eyes. He kneeled before Parker and laid his hands on his small shoulders.

"Bones will be home soon, Park." Booth paused, "you know how she liked to go on long vacations? This is one of them."

Parker stared in his father's eyes and remembered the promise he gave to his mother.

"_Daddy doesn't know that I will have a little brother or sister?"_

"_No, baby." Rebecca shook her head. "And Daddy should hear about that from Temperance first, do you agree with me?"_

"_Yes."_

"Promise?"

"I promise, Parker, she will be back."

* * *

Brennan sighed and looked out of the window for the last time. It was her last day here in Chile and although the stay helped her greatly, she wasn't sure if she was ready to face her old life, or what was left of it.

As far as she could tell, she had managed to put herself back together and accept the future ahead of her. She was actually looking forward to getting back to the Jeffersonian. She knew that as soon as Angela noticed her enlarging abdomen, she would be over the moon with excitement.

But it was one thing to accept it, the actual seeing and feeling her growing baby was something completely different and it amazed her a little more every day.

There was a new life inside of her.

Brennan looked around her hotel room and her eyes stopped at the clock on the wall.

It was time to go home.

**To be continued **

* * *

Well, here we go, slowly getting there, but I can assure you, that BB will meet in the next chapter. Tell me how much you are looking forward to it in some small, tiny reviews :).


	6. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: No, don't own them, sadly for me.

A/N: Is there at least a tiny chance, that someone is still reading this story? I know it took me over two months and I'm really sorry, but it was just incredibly busy time. And the result of it is, that I am sitting now in my new home in Ohio. Hope you'll like this chapter, it's longer than the previous ones and I think I can promise that I'll add another one soon. So please, pretty, pretty please, if you are still reading it, let me know! Oh and as always, many thanks to Lisa, who beta-readed this for me, again.

* * *

**Chapter 5**

Angela jumped out of her car as soon as she managed to find an empty spot in the parking lot and raced straight to the arrival board.

She was late. Again.

It reminded her of the time over three years ago, when Brennan had returned from Guatemala. Luckily the boards were working this time, so she quickly maneuvered herself in the right direction.

The gate was crowded, but Brennan's auburn hair was easily recognizable. Angela didn't fight the excited shriek as she ran to her friend and hugged her happily.

"You're back, Bren!" Angela laughed and hugged her even tighter. "How was it?"

Brennan smiled and Angela released her so she could look at her.

"Great. Beautiful. And so peaceful. You would like it there, Ange." Brennan smiled once again. "It was a good idea to go there."

Angela's smile faded. Brennan seemed almost happy, content with the world, but that was all about to change again. Angela shook her head to stop the tears in her eyes.

"Well, that's out of the way, so now let's get to the important things." She managed a tiny, but excited smile as she ran her fingers along the slight curve of Brennan's abdomen. "Let me see!"

*******

He continued pacing across the lab as he checked the time again. He was nervous. Scared. Her plane was about to land.

Angela was supposed to pick Brennan up and prepare her a little for the news. But that didn't calm him down at all. The whole squint squad seemed nervous around him all the time. The feeling that they were hiding something from him was still present no matter how hard he tried to get past it.

"Why are you still here, Seeley?" The female voice surprised him. He was obviously more anxious, than he thought otherwise his ranger training would have warned him that Cam had walked up behind him.

"Because I would go crazy if I waited anywhere else, Camille." Booth answered and turned to face her. Her arms were folded, her expression unreadable.

"But your pacing all around here is driving everyone else up the wall." Cam closed the distance between them and gently touched his hand. "Go home. Brennan won't be in the lab before tomorrow."

"Sometimes she comes in the evening, you know that, Cam." Booth refused to look her in the eyes instead he kept staring at his shoes.

"Booth, when you returned..." Cam paused and the effect was immediate, for Booth raised his eyes to her. "When you returned, we told you some things had changed."

"What the hell does that mean, Cam? You all keep telling me that, but you never explain yourselves." The tone in his voice was desperate as Booth leaned against the glass wall of Brennan's office.

"Give it time, Booth."

*******

"What's been going on in the lab, Ange?" Brennan asked once they were both seated and belted in Angela's car. Angela quickly inhaled and started the car.

"You know the usual."

"Ange, are you telling me, that in the _two_ months I spent in Chile, nothing happened there?"

"Well, we had some cases..." Angela quickly looked at Brennan, whose expression changed upon hearing that. "Oh… Zach and Hodgin's almost got fired, after their fifth unauthorized experiment. Cam was completely furious, because she had to close the lab for a couple of days."

"What did they do?" Brennan laughed and Angela looked at her once again. Where was her best friend, who would normally be worried out of her mind about her lab at this point?

"They put some explosives on Hodgin's' insects and failed while baby-sitting them." As much as this change in her friend bothered Angela, it was a good change and Brennan's sparkling eyes and smile made her smile too.

"Who…" Brennan began, and then quickly gazed out of the window. "Who were you working the cases with?"

"A lot of people, Bren." Angela told her and after one last quick glance, returned to driving Brennan to her apartment.

*******

The same questions were repeated for hours in his mind. What had they all meant by changes? What the hell had happened in those weeks between his fake death and her departure?

He tried, he really did, but it was simply too much to bear. His brain went into the same box he'd helped Brennan create.

Booth was on his way to the parking lot, when his cell phone started ringing. He didn't even bother to check the caller id.

"Booth."

"Hi, it's Angela."

That stopped him in his tracks. He'd known she'd call eventually, yet it sent him straight back to the hell he'd been in before he turned his brain off.

"You aren't on your way to Brennan's apartment, are you, Booth?" She asked and he almost snapped at her that he, in fact, was doing exactly that. But something held those words back in his throat.

"Go home, Booth." Angela sighed. "I got her home just fine, fed her and sent her straight to bed, although I doubt, that she actually stayed there."

"Angela, I-"

"Booth, I get it, I really do." She went silent for a little while. "The thing is, Booth, you hurt her and Temperance Brennan is my best friend. I don't want you to go there tonight. Do it for her. You at least owe her that."

Booth painfully closed his eyes to push back the tears that threatened to fall.

"Ok," he silently promised and hesitated for a second. "Ange, please, tell me, how is Bones doing?"

"Better, I think. I don't suppose she has improved her theatrical performance and ability to lie. Other than that she looked really good." He could tell she was smiling from the sound of her voice on the phone and that gave his mind a little bit of peace. "I'm almost home, Booth. See ya tomorrow?"

"Yeah." Booth said, waited until Angela ended the call and slowly headed to his car and then his empty home.

*******

Brennan changed into her pajamas and moved to the kitchen to fix herself a light snack. She was spared all those pregnancy difficulties except for one, late evening snacks. But she supposed this was, in fact, Booth's fault. It was him, who'd kept bringing her food long after normal people usually went to bed.

She ended up sitting in her favorite spot on the couch with her snack in one hand and her laptop in the other. She wasn't particularly in the mood for a mandatory re-reading of her latest manuscript, so browsing on the internet seemed like a good idea.

Brennan wasn't one for wasting time like this, but after two months of oil lamps with only a few books passing between all the people on the site, it was a welcome change to just sit and lazily enjoy the benefits of civilization.

She took a short look at the clock and returned her attention to an article about new discoveries in her field of work. The flights were long and tiring, although the pregnancy really didn't affect her, it was a factor in her life now and Brennan had no desire to over-work herself.

Probably another one of her child's influences inherited from its father.

Brennan had dealt with it. She'd accepted Booth's death, but it didn't stop her from staring at her wall and thinking about him. And what could have been instead. The painful and familiar stab in her heart returned. She knew that night her dreams would be filled with him, with memories of them together, and with her secret and unfulfilled wishes for a future with Booth.

She quickly shut off the computer and set it aside. The glance around her apartment only made her think more about her partner. There, in one corner was a plant he'd given to her on her birthday. An attempt to manipulate her into working regular hours, ensuring she would go home to water it, which meant no more working over night at the lab. Then her gaze fell on several pictures of her two families on the bookshelves, and a stack of menus from different restaurants on the fridge.

Brennan knew she would have to toss his things away soon. She couldn't avoid his clothes in her laundry-basket forever. Or his toothbrush.

But not tonight. Tonight she would allow herself to fall asleep surrounded by things that reminded her of the man that had taught her how to live and love unconditionally.

*******

Home. It felt kind of bittersweet, if you asked Booth. In the short time he and Brennan had spent together, they'd always seemed to understand each other without spoken words. It hadn't really mattered, at whose home they'd been staying as long as they'd been together.

So now, when he was sitting on his couch with no light on, it felt weird. Because she was actually there for the first time since he'd been back. Back to DC or back amongst the living ones, it didn't really mean anything. Brennan was at her apartment, apparently going through her evening routine he had learned to love and he, he was sitting in the darkness of his living room with a beer and a picture of them with Parker.

Through the silent room echoed a message from his answering machine. God knew why he had kept this old message from Brennan. Maybe because it brought back good memories of their first days together.

_Booth dragged himself into his place and almost immediately fell on the couch without bothering to remove either his shoes or coat. He was miserable. His day was __officially classified as a bad day._

_The morning had been good, kinda. But the moment he'd stepped outside of her apartment building, he'd known something was coming._

_Booth sighed painfully and raised his tired body from the soft cushions to listen to his messages. He just really hoped that the powers-that-be would consider his bad day finished. He pushed the button on the machine and turned to get rid of his coat and shoes._

"_Hi Booth," that stopped him quite effectively. "It's me... me as in me, Brennan." He chuckled and shook his head. Only his Bones would say this instead of a simple "it's me". As if he wouldn't recognize her voice anytime and anywhere. "I was thinking. Since we haven't talked all day except for this morning, do you want to have dinner or a coffee?" She paused and Booth smiled, he could almost see her biting her lower lip. "I'd rather talk to you, but your cell is off and you apparently aren't at home, so just give me a call, when you hear it, ok? Talk to you soon, bye."_

_He actually stood there for a few minutes, considering replaying the message, but the need to see her at that moment was too powerful. So he just grabbed his keys from the coffee table, switched the light off and got in his car._

_Booth didn't really care if it was after midnight, when he let himself into her dark apartment and went straight into her bedroom._

_He silently kneeled beside her bed, slowly leaned closer and lovingly kissed his Bones hair. She stirred and sleepily opened her eyes._

"_Booth?" She whispered, "What are you doing here at..." she squinted at her alarm-clock, "almost one in the morning?"_

"_Missed you," he only smiled and gave her another kiss, this time on her forehead._

"_Then get in the bed." She closed her eyes and her lips smiled. "You didn't have to wake me to get permission for that."_

_Booth then quietly laughed and stripped down to his boxers, putting on a t-shit he left at her place last night. He crawled into her bed, carefully so he wouldn't wake her again and sighed contently, as he slowly put his arms around her waist and pulled her a little closer to him._

_His day just got much, much better._

*******

Brennan woke up to the beeping alarm and with a silent curse got out of bed. She completely forgot that autumn was in full force here in DC and that the mornings would be completely dark at this hour.

She made her way to the bathroom, took a short shower and still moved sleepily to the kitchen to make herself a cup of tea, since coffee was out of the question. Her answering machine was showing a total number of twenty messages, so Brennan checked the time and let the machine play them.

After fifteen minutes she found herself on her kitchen counter, with a cup of warm liquid, listening to the messages. Most of them were from her publisher, one from Cam informing her, that the museum had received an ancient remains, that needed her expertise and the last one, which was currently playing, was from her doctor.

"_Hello, Dr. Brennan, this is Dr. __Carter. I'm calling to remind you about your appointment tomorrow. You're overdue for your regular prenatal check-up, since you've been down in Chile for the last two months. I'll see you tomorrow at eight a.m., Temperance!" _

Brennan squirmed uncomfortably and jumped down, setting the mug in the sink. Her gynecologist was an old friend of hers hence the personal reminder. And since Doctor Allison Carter knew her friend, reminders like this one were not an exception.

Two hours later, Brennan was lying on a bed in her doctor's examination room and staring in utter shock at the monitor before her.

This was her baby.

*******

Booth thought about going to the lab the first thing in the morning, as tempting as the idea was, he knew it would be stupid. He had no idea how to approach her or how to break this news to her without her instantly beating the hell out of him, not that he didn't deserve it.

And yet, here he was. Standing in front of his FBI issued car with his keys in his hand.

Booth deeply breathed out and unlocked the car. Brennan was probably just about to arrive at the lab, so he would give her time to settle.

And then, then he would pray to all the saints for help.

*******

Brennan quickly changed back into her clothes and once again looked at the picture in her hand, the first picture of her baby. With her fingers, she gently traced the baby's face, not minding the happy tears in her eyes.

"Temperance? Is everything okay?" The voice of her doctor stopped her for a moment. Brennan shook her head slightly and stepped out of the changing room to schedule the next appointment and to say good bye.

"I'm fine." Brennan offered the petite blonde in her white coat a smile.

"Glad to hear it." Dr. Allison Carter nodded. "Sit down for a moment, though. We need to go over a few things."

Brennan glanced curiously at her, but followed the young doctor to her desk and sat down. Her eyes found their way back to the picture again. The corners of her mouth raised and her eyes once again softened. After a second, Brennan looked up at Allison.

"What do you need to know?"

"Do you know the medical history of your child's father or could you bring him with you for your next appointment?" The doctor asked her and Brennan's eyes went wide as she gasped at the question.

"I-" Brennan paused, not entirely sure what to say. Allison seemed to notice her hesitation and looked up.

"What is going on, Brennan?"

"I'll get you his medical history, Allison." Brennan said her voice emotionless and did her best to avoid her friend's inquisitive gaze. Allison shook her head and sighed. She had a bad feeling from the very beginning, that something was wrong, but as usual, Brennan wouldn't say a word.

"I'm giving you some prenatal vitamins and I want you to try to eat regularly, ok?" Brennan nodded glad that Allison didn't ask her more questions.

"I don't suppose you would be willing to cut your hours at work a little more, right?" Brennan smirked at her. "Ok. So if you don't have any questions, I'll see you in four weeks." Allison gave her a friendly smile, which Brennan returned and then left the room. The picture still clutched firmly in her hand.

*******

"Booth?" Angela asked and quickly pulled him into her office, closing the door behind him.

"What are you doing, Angela?" Booth hissed in confusion.

"Brennan's not here yet." Angela answered and for the first time Booth noticed her deer caught in the headlights look. "Did you come up with anything to say to her yet?"

"What do you think?" Booth grimaced as he sat down heavily on Angela's couch. "Honestly, I'm pretty terrified of her right now."

"You don't say," Angela noted ironically and looked at the clock. "She called earlier to say she'll be in later – which should be anytime now."

As if on cue, Brennan's deep voice suddenly came from the lab and they both jumped to their feet.

"I suggest you stay here for a second, Booth." Angela said and quickly ran from her office to envelop Brennan in a hug. Booth's eyes followed her and seconds later, they ended up on Brennan.

And her icily blue eyes were looking right back into his.

*******

Brennan entered the Jeffersonian in a rush. She was smiling, excited and couldn't wait to see Angela so she could show her the picture from her ultra-sound.

And of course, she was simply happy to be back at work.

Brennan quickly crossed the distance between the glass door and the platform. Both Hodgin's and Zach were already on their way to welcome her.

"Tell me everything about Chile, Dr. Brennan!" Zach exclaimed and Brennan awkwardly hugged him, a little smile playing on her lips.

"I will, Zach." She promised and moved to embrace Hodgin's as well. "Is Angela in her-"

"Sweetie!" Brennan turned around to see Angela running towards her. They hugged and just as Brennan was about to show them what had brought a smile to her face, her eyes met with a pair of familiar deep brown ones.

*******

It was as if everything suddenly stopped. All noises, all movement around them disappeared. Neither of them dared to move.

Brennan's eyes filled with tears and without turning, she asked Angela.

"What is it? What the hell is this sick joke about?!" Brennan shouted furiously and gasped as Booth started to walk towards the small group.

By the time Booth stopped before her, the rest of them respectfully moved aside.

"Bones." He said hesitantly, not daring to flash his smile at her when all he wanted, all his being ached for, was to take her in his arms and forget this nightmare.

"You're not dead." Brennan stated in a strangled voice, her face paler than snow.

"Bones-" Booth tried to reach for her, but Brennan jumped and backed away from him.

"You didn't die, you're not dead." She repeated, one lone tear making its way down her cheek. Booth once again gently raised his hand in an effort to touch her.

"Temperance, I'm sorry-"

"Don't you dare, you bastard!" Brennan hissed and before he even knew what was happening, he felt it.

She slapped him. Hard.

Booth blinked and looked back at her again. He swallowed, taking in the deep pain in her eyes.

"I deserved that," he nodded. "And you have every right to turn around and walk away right now, but," he hesitated, his own emotion's making it almost impossible to stop the tears welling in his eyes, "I'm begging you, hear me out." He pleaded.

Brennan's breathing was erratic and she could feel her quickened pulse. She was furious. Her mind was full of thoughts, but none were registering. _This is the man she considered her partner, her friend? The man she fell in love with? What person would leave the ones he claims to love?!_

"I don't think I can do that right now, Booth." She said and shook her head. "I don't think that I _want_ to ever see or hear you again."

Booth winced. "I understand." He nodded. "So if you'd just let me explain... and then decided that you don't want me in your life anymore, I would respect your decision. I swear, Temperance."

Brennan desperately looked around and roughly bit her lower lip, so she could almost feel the blood on her tongue. "My office." She said, not daring to look at him again as she turned on her heels with Booth following closely behind.

*******

They all watched from a respectable distance in awe. The pain, the anger, the sadness. They could see it all. And as the pair left for Brennan's office, Angela spotted something on the ground several feet from them.

She bent down and picked it up, then slowly turned it over. It was a black and white picture.

A picture of the broken-hearted couple's baby.

**To be continued**


End file.
